Selected Letters

by Wilfred Owen, John Bell (Editor)

This selection from the full 1967 edition of Owen's letters includes some early examples, but concentrates on the last seven years of his short life. His letters--almost all to his mother--constitute his self-portrait.

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 1986

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the goodreads data base.

Wilfred Owen was a defining voice of British poetry during the First World War, renowned for his stark portrayals of trench warfare and gas attacks. Deeply influenced by Siegfried Sassoon, whom he met while recovering from shell shock, Owen’s work departed from the patriotic war verse of the time, instead conveying the brutal reality of combat and the suffering of soldiers. Among his best-known poems are Dulce et Decorum est, Anthem for Doomed Youth, and Strange Meeting—many of which were published only after his death.
Born in 1893 in Shropshire, Owen developed an early passion for poetry and religion, both of which would shape his artistic and moral worldview. He worked as a teacher and spent time in France before enlisting in the British Army in 1915. After a traumatic experience at the front, he was treated for shell shock at Craiglockhart War Hospital, where Sassoon’s mentorship helped refine his poetic voice.
Owen returned to active service in 1918, determined to bear witness to the horrors of war. He was killed in action just one week before the Armistice. Though only a few of his poems were published during his lifetime, his posthumous collections cemented his legacy as one of the greatest war poets in English literature. His work continues to be studied for its powerful combination of romantic lyricism and brutal realism, as well as its complex engagement with themes of faith, duty, and identity.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in a charity shop as I had been reading one of his poems. I have reviewed the book on the basis of its reading experience. Like most letters parts were only really interesting to the recipient. The book improved once it reached the war years. If you are a true Owen fan / researcher then you will probably get a lot more out of the book.

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read Owen’s collected letters, but for some reason Goodreads doesn’t have the book listed.

[Christine Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, very readable